Tablet box



Dec. 13, 1949 HERMANI 2,491,264

TABLET BOX Filed Feb. 26, 1946 Zmnentor 05M 5HMM Q 634,71, AMVW attorney} Patented Dec. 13,, 1949 TABLET BOX Louis Iiermani, Baltimore, Md, assi'gnor .to Continental Can Company, ind, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application February 26, 1946, Serial No. 650,199

2 Claims.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in a metal tablet box, and more particularly a box wherein the cover may be unlatched by pressing on the rear portion of the cover.

An object of the invention is to provide a tablet box of the above type wherein the side walls of the cover are pivotally connected to the side walls of the body forwardly of and adjacent the rear wall of the body and wherein the pivotal connection is such as to shift and permit the cover to be depressed at the rear for the initial opening movement of the cover and wherein said pivotal connection operates as it shifts to move the cover rearwardly during the initial opening movement and to move the cover forwardly during the final closing movement thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tablet box having the above characteristics wherein the cover when closed is supported on the upper edge of the side walls of the body and rocks upon the curved edge when pressed upon at the rear for unlatching the same.

In the drawings, which show by way of illustration one embodiment of the invention,

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a box embodying the improvements, the section being centrally through the box from front to rear and with the cover in closed position;

Figure 2 is a view partly in rear elevation and partly in section, the section being taken on line 2-2' of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the cover as depressed at the rear of the box for unlatching the same;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 1 but showing the cover in full open position;

Figure 5 is a side elevation of a portion of one of the side walls and showing the depression therein for the pivot trunnion.

The tablet box embodying the improvements includes a body portion I and a cover 2. The body includes a bottom 3 having integral side walls 4, 4, an integral front wall 5, and an integral rear wall 5. The cover includes a top portion I, a front wall 8, a rear wall 9, and side walls It, In. These walls of the cover are all integral with the top portion i. The cover is dimensioned so as to engage over the body walls.

The rear wall 6 is reduced in height and terminates in an upper edge H. The side walls 4 of the body are curved downwardly from a point I2 to the upper edge II of the rear wall, as indicated at l3.

The cover I is curved upwardly from side to side of the box and when in closed position, the side edge portions of the top will rest upon the top edges of the body walls at least in the region indicated at l2. The rear portion of the top of the cover, when the cover is closed, is disposed at some distance above the upper edge H at the rear Wall of the body and, therefore, the cover, when pressed upon at the rear side thereof, will rockon the curved surface. In other words, this curved surface provides a shifting fulcrum support for the cover as it moves from the position shown in Figure 1 to the position shown in Figure 3. The rear wall 55 of the cover is shortened the lower edge thereof is indicated at l4. It will be noted that when the cover is in closed position the edge i l of the cover is slightly below the edge 5 l of the body of the box.

The front wall 5 of the body is provided with an outwardly projecting nib [5 which is adapted to engage in a recess it formed in an outwardly projecting protuberance on the front Wall 8 of the cover.

Both of the side walls of the body of the box are similarly shaped and in each side wall, adjacent the rear wall 6, is a longitudinally extending depression ll (see Figures 2 and 5). The side walls i8, it of the depression are parallel and the end walls I9, l9 are semi-circular. The side walls of the depression are inclined forwardly from the bottom thereof to the top, the purpose of which will be hereinafter more fully disclosed. Each side wall of the cover is provided with a circular depression 26 which forms an integral inwardly extending trunnion 2 I. These trunnions on the side walls of the cover extend into the depressions and the trunnion is shaped so as to conform generally to the curved ends of the depression.

When the cover is in closed position the trunnions 2| are at the upper end of the depression. When the rear portion of the cover is pressed upon the recess [6 in the front wall of the cover will be disengaged from the nib and the cover will move to what might be called its initial unlatched and opened position (see Figure 3). During this downward movement of the rear portion of the cover the trunnion 2| will move to the lower end of the depression.

As the trunnion moves downward in the depression it will engage the front wall I 8 of the depression and will force the cover to shift rearwardly on the body of the box. This will position the rear wall 9 of the cover so that it can swing around the lower corner of the body to fully open position as indicated in Figure 4. When the cover is moved toward closed position, it will contact with the curved upper edge 13 of the body and then rock on this curved edge as a fulcrum support, and this will cause the trunnion to move toward the upper end of the depression and when it moves upwardly in the depression it will engage the rear wall i3 of the depression and be shifted toward the front of the body of the box. This will force the cover forwardly and cause the front wall to clear the front wall of the body 5 as it moves into latched position.

It will be noted from Figure 1 that the rear wall 9 of the cover is very close to the rear wall 6 of the body. This makes a very desirable relation of the cover to the body in closed position. When the cover swings to open position the shifting thereof through the movement of the trunnion to the lower end of the depression will carry the rear wall of the cover away from the rear wall 6 of the body so that this rear wall 9 of the cover can move freely around the corner of the body where the rear wall joins the bottom, as shown in Figure 4. When the cover is moved to closed position as noted above, it will be moved forward so as to bring the rear wall 9 close to the rear wall 6 and at the same time cause the front wall of the cover to clear the front wall of the body as it moves to closed position.

It is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction and the shaping of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tablet box comprising a body and a cover each having rear, front and side walls integrally connected to a top and a bottom, respectively, with the cover engaging over the body walls, said cover having a fulcrum support on each of the side Walls of the body on which fulcrum supports the cover rocks during the initial opening thereof, said side walls of the body adjacent the ends thereof having elongated inwardly extending depressions inclining forwardly from the bottom thereof to the top thereof, the side walls of the cover having inwardly extending trunnions adapted to engage the respective depressions in the body walls, said trunnions being disposed at the upper ends of the depressions when the cover is closed and movable to the lower ends thereof when the cover is pressed upon at the rear and moved to initially open position and serving as pivotal supports for the cover during the remainder of the movement of the cover to full open position, the side walls of the depressions being parallel and operating on said trunnions to move the cover forwardly during closing so as to clear the front Wall of the body and to move the cover rearwardly during opening so as to clear the bottom of the rear wall of the body, said front wall of the body having a projecting nib adapted to engage a recess in the front wall of the cover for yieldingly holding said cover in closed position.

2. A tablet box comprising a body and a cover, each having rear, front and side walls integrally connected to a top and a bottom, respectively, with the cover engaging over the body walls, the side walls of the body being curved downwardly from a point forwardly of the rear wall to the upper edge of the rear wall which is reduced in height, said curved edges forming fulcrum supports for the cover on which the cover rocks during initial opening, said side walls of the body adjacent the ends thereof having elongated inwardly extending depressions inclining forwardly from the bottom thereof to the top thereof, the side walls of the cover having inwardly extending trunnions adapted to engage the respective depressions in the body walls, said trunnions being disposed at the upper ends of the depressions when the cover is closed and movable to the lower ends thereof when the cover is pressed upon at the rear and moved to initially open position and serving as pivotal supports for the cover during the remainder of the movement of the cover to full open position, the side walls of the depressions being parallel and operating on said trunnions to move the cover forwardly during closing so as to clear the front wall of the body and to move the cover rearwardly during opening so as to clear the bottom of the rear wall of the body, said front wall of the body having a projecting nib adapted to engage a recess in the front wall of the cover for yieldingly holding said cover in closed position.

LOUIS HERMANI.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,197,481 Nyden Apr. 16, 1940 2,219,486 Nyden Oct. 29, 1940 2,257,682 Hermani Sept. 30, 1941 2,307,028 Dahlgren Jan. 5, 1943 

